


Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls

by OrChan12



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast, Alternate Universe - Disney, Angst and Humor, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Child Abandonment, Fairy Tale Retellings, Happy Ending, M/M, Romance, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-07-10 17:17:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6997513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrChan12/pseuds/OrChan12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Don't you know this tale<br/>In which all I ever wanted<br/>I'll never have<br/>For who could ever learn to love a beast?"</p>
<p>When Kei was eleven, he was cursed by a witch and turned into a beast and decided to shut in a castle. Ready to accept his fate- die as unbeloved and feard beast- Tadashi walked into his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Recall the night you melted my uglyness away

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, my precious beta Nyxzia, who is always doing a wonderfull job! 
> 
> Thank you, Nightwish, for writing the song "Beauty and the Beast"- all the titles and part of the summary come from the song. 
> 
> This happened because I love this otp and the song so much. 
> 
> (Nat-chan, this is also written for you, like always)

It was quite a beautiful morning. The sun spread its lazy rays across the countryside; the sky was a crystalline blue, and the birds were chirping cheerfully. Nevertheless, reading in direct sunlight was never Tadashi's favorite, and he had taken refuge under a gnarled oak tree. It was like a picture taken from a fairytale, but he was too engrossed in his book to notice.

 

The wind was getting warmer, he realized.  Perhaps it was time to go home.  He stopped reading and closed the book, sighing.

 

He could have spent hours under that tree, devouring every sentence the book sent his way, anticipating every plot twist, every line of dialogue- to him, the book was the only thing truly alive at the moment, and the words seemed to dance off the page.  The house often felt empty in the afternoon in comparison. Ittetsu, his caretaker, left for work at three in the morning and his little brother, Tobio, went to school.

 

As he walked briskly on the dirt road, clutching his book tightly, Tadashi encountered some of the bullies that picked on him often. They were much bigger than him, even though he was fairly tall himself, and were chatting amiably amongst themselves until they saw him coming.  A smug smile grew on their faces, clearly eager to ruin his day.  He started walking faster.  Perhaps they had something else to do.  He passed the group without a problem and almost sighed with relief.

 

Then he felt a rough tug on his book and Tadashi knew that his hopes were in vain.  He felt the novel leave his arm and turned around.

 

The town's citizens always mocked him, for his love of books, for his freckles, anything, really.  It did get a bit lonely at times, but at least he wasn't stuck between four walls all day long and the constant barrage of insults that came his way whenever the villagers saw him. 

 

"What're we reading today?" the tallest one in the group asked mockingly, smirking.  He opened the book to a random page and squinted, pretending to read.  Tadashi didn't bother to inform him that he was holding the book upside-down.

 

One of the other boys grabbed Tadashi's arms tightly, leaving him unable to escape. "Probably something as useless as he is," he snorted.  The group burst into peals of laughter.

 

"Can't you just give me back my book?" Tadashi asked, sighing.  He didn't want a fight, just a quiet day.

 

"Fine, here you go," the tall one said as he threw the book at Tadashi's face.  It hit him on the nose and dropped to the ground with a soft flump.  "But the book is kind of heavy," the boy said with mock sweetness, "And you're still so skinny… I think we should help you out a little bit, don't you, boys?"

 

The group nodded in agreement, stupid grins stretching across their faces.

 

"I know," said a third person thickly. "How about we force him to-"

 

"What is going on here?"

 

The group whirled around to find Oikawa Tooru, the most popular man in town.  Tadashi recognized his voice instantly.  He was handsome, and every woman in their village was head over heels for him, flirting with him and bringing assorted baked goods up to his window. He somehow managed to get the men's respect despite stealing away many of their girlfriends, and Tadashi was thankful for his arrival. He wasn't really fond of Tooru, but he might distract the bullies.

 

Tooru flipped his perfect brown hair and approached them and picked up the book from the ground. He flipped through the pages, pausing to read a few of them before determining that it wasn't anything serious.

 

"Let go of him," Tooru ordered, snapping the book shut and sending them an enigmatic glance. "You waste too much of your time on this guy."

 

The bullies glanced at each other, and the boy let him go instantly, stumbling backward and murmuring apologies before shuffling away.

 

"For a cute guy, you sure have some boring hobbies," Tooru remarked, handing him the book.

 

Tadashi raised an eyebrow. "It isn't boring," he protested. The book was one of his favorites and was given to him by his caretaker. "Thanks, though," he said, turning around and walking towards his house.

It seemed, however, that Tooru wasn't about to let him go that quickly.

 

"You know, I'm pretty popular here," Tooru said examining his perfect nails, and Tadashi stopped walking.

 

_You had to be as oblivious as Tobio to not realize it,_ Tadashi thought. "I noticed that," he said, and he went back on his way.

 

"Well, if you go out with me, those bullies will stop picking on you."

 

All Tadashi knew about Tooru was his appearance. He didn't see a reason for Tooru to like someone like him.  "Why would you have any interest in someone like me?" Tadashi snorted.

 

"Didn't I mention that you're cute?"

 

"And…" Tadashi said.  He waited for Tooru to continue. Maybe he was just fooling him.  Tooru liked doing that every once in a while.

 

"We would make a beautiful couple!"

 

"Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it, but I refuse."

 

Tooru frowned.  "You'll change your mind someday," he said, walking away.

 

 

 

Tobio stood in front of him, volleyball in hand. Tadashi sighed. He already knew what Tobio wanted; it was evident in his deep blue eyes.  "Fine, let's play volleyball," Tadashi said, sighing, and something close to a smile erupted on Tobio's face.

 

"You read each other really well," Ittetsu said, laughing.

 

"It isn't exactly hard to guess what Tobio wants," Tadashi said.

 

Tobio shrugged. "I don't mind," he said, tossing the ball up into the air.  "Saves me the trouble of explaining."

 

"Go outside and play but don't forget-" Ittetsu started to say, but was cut off by a series of hacking coughs.

 

Tadashi dashed to his side and patted Ittetsu's back. Ittetsu was a kind man that helped raise both Tadashi and Tobio. The day the man with curly black hair had brought Tadashi to Ittetsu's house was one of the best days of his life. But over the years, the older man's health had gradually declined. His eyesight got worse, and he was constantly coughing.  Tadashi noticed that he was wiping blood from his hands with a tissue. Ittetsu threw away the tissue when he saw Tadashi and smiled as if nothing happened.

 

"No need to worry, Tadashi-kun, I'm all right.  Go ahead, play with Tobio, but don't forget that he has homework."

 

Unable to do anything useful, Tadashi nodded and walked outside. Ittetsu's condition didn't go unnoticed by Tobio either, and he was grumpier than usual.  They didn't say anything as they bumped the ball back and forth. If they talked, they would have to face reality: if something happened to Ittetsu, they would become orphans again. Tadashi wasn't sure if he would be able to support Tobio by himself.

 

"I don't like it," muttered Tobio as he bumped the ball back to Tadashi.

 

"I don't it either," Tadashi admitted as he threw the ball back. "We just have to stay strong."

 

"Be strong, my ass," Tobio scoffed.  "That's not going to do anything."

 

"Well, what do you suggest we do, then?”

 

"Something that can actually cure him," Tobio said as he caught the ball, showing no intention to toss it back. "You know- the garden."

 

Tadashi instantly knew what Tobio was talking about. Once their land was ruled by the royal family Tsukishima, but ten years ago the family was chased away by a monster.  No one knew what had happened to the heir. It was said that he was eaten, and that a beast took over the castle.  The castle had a massive garden and a wide variety of plants, some of which could be used for medicine, but everyone who approached it was instantly devoured.

 

Tobio was a reckless person.

 

"Don't you even think about it," Tadashi ordered. "It's too dangerous."

 

"I run fast," Tobio said simply.

 

"Tobio, no."

 

"I'm not going to lose to some beast," Tobio scoffed.

 

"It's not about that!" Tadashi couldn't believe how hard it was to reason with his brother. "If something happens to you, it won't help anybody," he exclaimed.  "It's better to know that at least you're safe."

 

Tobio said nothing and tossed the ball back.

 

Tadashi hoped that his younger brother would get some common sense for once in his life and stay away from the garden at all costs.

 

 

 

"Tadashi!  Tadashi, wake up!"

 

"What is it?" Tadashi groaned, trying to turn over.  Somebody was shaking him too roughly- why was it so hard to get some sleep?

 

"Tobio isn't in his room," Ittetsu said, panicking. "And there isn't any school today!"

 

Tadashi bolted upward, knocking Ittetsu back. "What?" he asked disbelievingly.

 

"He left this note," Ittetsu said, handing Tadashi a slip of crumpled paper.

 

_After what we talked about, I realized I should go without telling anyone,_ he read.  Tobio's handwriting was as messy as ever, only sloppier than usual this time.  He was in a hurry, no doubt.

 

Godammit, Tobio.

 

"What did we talk about?" Ittetsu mumbled. "Where did he go? I need to start looking for him-"

 

Tadashi jumped out of bed.  "No need for that, I know exactly where he is. I'll bring him back," he said, throwing on his clothes and bolting out the door, leaving Ittetsu behind without answers to any of his questions.

 

In the town, one of the merchants was furiously yelling in the streets. Someone had stolen one of his horses. 

 

"What's going on?" Tadashi asked.

 

"A thief," the merchant said, disgusted.  "Can you believe it?  They just left a note saying, 'Sorry, I'll bring back the horse if I return alive.'"

 

Tadashi winced.  Even when committing a crime, Tobio was still unbearably polite.  He was on an entirely different level of stupidity.

 

"You don't seem disturbed that there might be a thief among us, hmm?" Tooru said, strolling towards Tadashi. 

 

"It's probably just a one-time thing," Tadashi said, trying to hide his nervousness.  If he wanted to catch up to Tobio, he would also need a horse.

 

"Could it be that the blueberry you call brother is responsible for this?" Tooru asked innocently, his eyes flashing with danger.

 

"You blame him for everything because you hate him," Tadashi shot back, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

Sadly, Tooru was right in this case, though Tadashi had no inclination to tell him otherwise.   He glanced around, afraid that the other villagers would buy Tooru's accusations, but nothing happened.

 

"I guess that's true," Tooru said, smiling bitterly. "It's a shame, though. The old man refuses to rent his horses until the culprit is found."

 

"Crap," Tadashi muttered. He definitely wouldn't be able to catch Tobio by foot.

 

"What do you need a horse for?" asked Tooru, frowning. "You know what? Never mind, you can borrow mine. It seems urgent."

 

"Seriously?" Tadashi asked, his face lighting up. He never expected to get a kind gesture from Tooru.

 

"Of course! That way you'll owe me!" Tooru said, winking.

 

Tadashi didn't care. He was so happy he hugged Tooru.

 

"Thanks!" he exclaimed, practically bursting into tears.  I appreciate it."

 

Tooru pulled away, hiding his face. Tadashi was confused, but at least he still got a horse.

 

 

 

The weather was as pleasant as yesterday, and Tooru's horse was swift. Tobio probably had gone quite far, maybe as far as the castle itself. He hoped that Tobio was lucky enough to not run into a wolf on his way.

 

It wasn't a tough road. There was a path leading straight to the castle, a bit overgrown, but not too difficult to navigate. When he reached the castle, his first impression was how big the thing was.  But even so, it was definitely abandoned and deserted.  Shattered glass littered the area around empty window frames, and everything was colored with a layer of dirt and grime.  He jumped off the horse and slipped through the gates.  He stopped in his tracks as he saw the garden, filled with carefully planted flowers and trees arranged in a circular pattern around a desolate fountain. 

 

That was where he found Tobio, crouched among the flowers, a horse munching on the grass encircling the entire orchard.  Tadashi sighed and bolted to his brother. "Tobio!" he called, and Tobio turned around so quickly he fell on his bottom in surprise.

 

"How did you catch up?" Tobio asked, confused, a number of tiny white flowers clutched in his hand.

 

"It's easier to ride in broad daylight," Tadashi said hurriedly. "The real question is- why the hell are you here?  Also, you stole a horse. That's considered a felony!  What are you doing?"

 

"Picking flowers," Tobio said, holding out the tiny bunch.  "What did you think I was doing?"

 

"That's not-"

 

The decrepit doors of the castle slammed open, and the two brothers spun around to find a massive beast covered in blond fur standing in the dusty doorway, its clothes torn.  It roared as it rushed towards them at a speed not humanly possible, and Tadashi darted in front of Tobio.  As the beast drew nearer, Tadashi noticed that it had beautiful golden eyes that didn't quite fit the rest of its shabby appearance. Its giant teeth gleamed, and the ears reminded Tadashi of a dog.

 

"What are you doing in my castle?" the beast roared, and Tadashi was blasted back with a burst of hot hair and spit.

 

"I- ah, you see- um, I mean we- erm- uh..." Tadashi mumbled, paralyzed in fear.  He had forgotten how to create words.

 

Tobio, however, was entirely different. "I wanted to pick some flowers," he said plainly, standing up and glaring at the beast.

 

The monster pushed Tadashi aside, causing him to land on his bottom among the flowers, and stepped closer to Tobio. "How dare you come here and vandalize my place without permission?" it roared, its eyes glimmering with hate.

 

"How the hell are you supposed to give anyone permission if you don't ever come out?" Tobio challenged, and the beast inhaled deeply.  "Besides, I just wanted to-"

 

"You've got too much cheek, and I don't care," it said as it grabbed Tobio with giant paws and began to drag him to the castle.  Tobio began flailing wildly, but to no avail.  "I'll show you what happens when-"

 

"Hey!" yelled Tadashi, picking himself up from the flowers. "Leave him alone, he's just a kid! Take me instead."

 

Tobio looked surprised.  "You're not supposed to volunteer, dumbass!  Grab the flowers and get out!" he yelled.

 

"When you're not about to die, the smart thing to do is to run away," the beast agreed, though it was still angry.

 

"I don't care!" Tadashi yelled.  "Tobio, don't call your older brother a 'dumbass.'  Take me instead!"

 

"How heroic," the beast sarcastically as it let go of Tobio, who landed on his back on the rough cobblestone. "True, I don't need this brat, but how do I know that you'll keep your word?"

 

"I came with a horse," Tadashi said, panicked.  "Tobio will go back with it.  And if I run away, you'll be able to catch me."

 

"The hell are you doing?" Tobio asked as he sat back up, giving Tadashi an incredulous look.

 

"I'm saving you, that's what I'm doing," Tadashi said as he ran towards Tobio and gave him a hug.  "Give the horse back to Tooru," Tadashi hissed into Tobio's ear.  "Take the flowers you picked and give them to Ittetsu. Don't worry about me. I'll manage somehow."

 

He pulled Tobio up.

 

"But then who will play volleyball with me?" Tobio asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

"Join your school team," Tadashi insisted.

 

"They hate me!" Tobio protested.  "You want me to go and try to be friendly with people who hate me?"

 

"Let them get to know you," Tadashi said, smiling weakly. "You're a nice guy-"

 

"Could you two make it quick?" the beast cut in, yawning.  I'm getting a headache just listening to you two and your sappiness."

 

Tadashi ignored him. "Just do what I told you, okay?" he urged Tobio.  "Do it for me, at least."

Tobio nodded. "I'll-"

 

The beast sighed, grabbed the back of Tadashi's shirt, and dragged him into the castle and shut the doors with a SLAM.  The last thing Tadashi saw was his brother's confused face before the beast dropped him on the cold stone floor of the castle.

 

"What did you do that for?" Tadashi asked angrily, getting up to his feet.

 

"Like I said, you were taking too long," the beast said.  "Honestly, all you needed was a sad orchestra to make it even cheesier."

 

"I was saying goodbye to my brother! You could have waited five minutes."

 

"No.  I was bored."

 

Tadashi huffed and looked around at the castle.  Everything was covered in dust, and he had to resist the urge to sneeze.  The place was huge, the furniture was massive, and the entire place was pitch black save for some torches casting their flickering light on the walls.

 

Tadashi took a step forward and heard an indignant yowl.  He had stepped on a cat's tail.  He jumped back, then picked it up, feeling sorry for it. 

 

"Sorry," he apologized softly and stroked the cat's head, which was abnormally fluffy compared to the rest of it.  The cat instantly butted its head against Tadashi's palm, urging him to scratch more.  Tadashi obliged.

 

"God, that feels so good," the cat purred, going limp in Tadashi's arms with happiness.

 

Tadashi's eyes widened and he dropped the cat, which yowled and landed on its feet and shot Tadashi a glare. 

 

"Oh, come on," it whined.  "You pet me for- what, two seconds?  That's so mean!  At least pet me for five, man!"

 

Tadashi's eyebrows shot up, and he looked from the beast back to the cat, to the beast again, then back to the cat.  The beast leaned towards it. "Stop saying weird things, Kuroo," it sighed.

 

"Well, I wouldn't say it if you just pet me now and then," the cat, who was apparently named Kuroo, grumbled. "I just wanted to see who you were yelling at."

 

"The cat can talk," Tadashi said in disbelief, staring at Kuroo. "I just pet a talking cat."

 

"Please continue to do so," Kuroo said, striding over to Tadashi and sitting down on his haunches expectantly.  Tadashi leaned down hesitantly, picked Kuroo back up, and started stroking its head again.

Kuroo looked satisfied and started purring.  Tadashi had no idea why he was listening to a talking cat.

 

An owl swooped down from the windows and landed on Tadashi's head, its talons digging into his scalp.  Tadashi winced. "Who's the new guy?" the owl piped energetically.  "Hi!  The name's Bokuto!  Who are you?  What's your name?"

 

Tadashi paused momentarily and tried to look at the owl perched on his head, overwhelmed.  He failed.

"Hey, you didn't tell me your name yet!" Bokuto chirped, bobbing up and down on Tadashi's head. 

 

"Bro, I'm getting pet, so shh," Kuroo complained.

 

"I want to be pet!" Bokuto whined.  "Please?  Whatever your name is?  Can you pet me too?  Please?"

 

"That's it," the beast demanded, grabbing Kuroo by the scruff of his neck and plucking Bokuto off of Tadashi's head.  "Kuroo, Bokuto, shoo and quit your annoying routine.  He won't be with living with us anyway."

 

"Aww," the two whined, but they went off anyway, Bokuto flew into the rafters and nearly hitting his head, and Kuroo slunk off around a corner.

 

"Then- where am I going to live?" Tadashi asked, hoping that he wouldn't get eaten.

 

"In the cellar," the beast said, dragging Tadashi by the hood of his cloak.

 

"What did you expect?  Your brother was supposed to be punished, and you took his place.  You should have anticipated this."

 

Tadashi sighed and relented as he was dragged through a hallway, then down musty, damp stairs that smelled of mildew until they reached a small room that looked like a prison cell, bars and all. 

 

"Welcome to your new home," the beast said monotonously as he tossed Tadashi face-first onto the bed.  He heard the rattle of keys and turned to find the monster slamming the gate shut and locking the door with a loud click.

 

What a welcome.

 

The beast shook the gate twice, and nodded, evidently satisfied.  Then he strolled away, not giving Tadashi a second glance.  Tadashi gazed at his pitiful surroundings and decided that it could be worse.  At least he wasn't eaten.

 

He swept small mountains of dust off the bed in large heaps and brushed it off his hair.  Then he flopped back onto the bed, wondering how many days would pass before he died here.

 

 

 

Kei didn't like humans.  He blamed the witch that cursed him to morph into a beast when he went to puberty, and all because he had pissed her off once.  Human or no, he was grumpy, and grumpy monsters scared people away. 

 

It wasn't fun at all.

 

And to make things worse, there were whispers, stories, of dead carcasses littered around the castle with limbs missing and massive claw marks on their faces, which were entirely untrue, of course.  But naturally, people started avoiding the castle and spreading rumors that the royal family was cursed.  In fact, this was the first time that there was a human in the castle in the last decade.

 

So now he had a stupid rose whose petals fell off with every year that passed, and if he didn't get someone to love him as a beast, apparently he would die when the last petal fell.

 

Of course people loved grumpy monsters.  How in the world was he supposed to get along with a normal human being?

 

He crossed his arms and stared at the rose in its glass vase, mentally willing the thing to stay upright.  As if to spite him, one petal detached itself from the flower, leaving two.  He cursed and gritted his teeth.

 

"You're approaching this the wrong way," Kuroo said matter-of-factly, slinking into view.  Kei sighed.  Out of all the servants that had to stay and get turned into furniture or animals or something, Kuroo was the most aggravating.  Most of the servants, including his parents, had fled the castle.

 

"What do you mean?" Kei asked, trying his best to sound bored.

 

"I mean, this guy could be the one who will break the curse!  For a smart guy, you're awfully oblivious when it comes to stuff like this."

 

"You only like him because he pet you."

 

"Doubt all you want," Kuroo said primly, looking off to the side.  "I'll have you know that I'm an excellent judge of character, thank you very much."

 

"Really."

 

Bokuto flew into the room and landed on the table, inspecting the rose.  "He's nice," Bokuto agreed.  "Hey, do you think he'll pet me if I-"

 

"He's just a peasant!" Kei interrupted.  "There is literally nothing special about him."

 

"He pets talking animals very nicely," Kuroo said, nodding.  "That's special."

 

"He is a pretty good guy!" Bokuto agreed.  "Standing up for his brother and all.  Just hurry up and get him to like you and I can play volleyball again!  Do you know how hard it is to spike with wings?"

 

"Like me?" Kei scoffed.  "Please.  He'll run away the moment he gets the chance."

 

"I don't blame him," Kuroo said.  "Honestly, keep treating him that way I'll tell Suga about how you just let our chance escape."

 

"I'm not afraid of a tea kettle," Kei scoffed. 

 

"Okay!" Kuroo sang, striding out the door slowly, Bokuto in tow.  "I'll be going, then!  Ta-ta!"

 

Kei stopped the kitten.

 

"How do I start befriending him?" he ordered, and Kuroo smirked.      


	2. My dreams are made of you and only for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the hardship and his bad manners, Kei finally finds the right person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It had been more than half a year since I posted a chpater, I know... But I did work for 12 hours a day... sometimes night.... I had no will to think or inspiration. 
> 
> Anyway, this is not fully edited. I just wanted to post the chpater- because we all need cute Tsukkiyama moments in our lives. Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes!

Tadashi wondered if he could ask the beast for some books, so at least he would have something to do. There was nothing in the cell that could be used as a hobby. If there was a pen he could try learning how to draw. In that rate, he would die out of boredom.

The door opened. There, stood the beast, followed by the talking cat. Tadashi didn't waste the moment. "Hey, can I have some books?"

"Why?" asked the beast.

"I don't want to get bored."

"You've been here for fifteen minutes." He signed him to get up. "You're moving."

He started to panic. "Why? What did I do?"

The beast rolled his eyes. "Calm down, you're getting a different room."

"Are there books in that room?"

"Can you stop asking so many questions? I'll put you back in the cellar."

His goal was saving his little brother. He didn't expect to be taken hostage by a wild beast who didn't try to make a good first impression. The beast showed zero patience towards him nor any will to talk normally to him. There was no point keeping him there. He hoped his family would manage without him. Other than them, no one would notice his absence.

He was led through the abandoned castle silently, Kuroo humming a song. For a cat, his was a good singer. It was a beginning of a weird nightmare. He was the only man in the castle, there wasn't even a staff. It was just a beast alone with two talking animals. It was defiantly an odd situation.

They stopped in front of the door. The beast burst it open and pushed him inside. The behavior wasn't surprising anymore, the beast was rude. The room however was a major upgrade than the cellar. It was the size of his former house if not bigger. At least three people could sleep on the bed. More than one drawer could be fit in. There was a big window with no curtains. The closet was massive; even clothing stores couldn't put so many cloths in it. It was dusty but Tadashi could take care of that.

"You'll stay here," the beast commanded. "Dinner is in half an hour."

Tadashi sat on the bed and crossed his arms. "I'm not going."

The cat jumped off his lap. "You have to eat something. You're too skinny."

"If he doesn't want to eat, that's his problem. He can starve to death as long as I care."

"Great, then you can leave me alone!" It was the first since he got into the house he allowed himself to get mad. His host treated horribly; there were talking animals all of the sudden and he was away from his family. His caretaker was sick and Tobio wasn't the most reliable kid. They needed him and he was in a castle far away. He just hoped Tobio would come back before it was too late.

"You know, I could just leave you there to rot, and I still can." The beast said in a matter of fact tone.

"Fine, you don't really care anyway. No wonder there is anyone here."

It was what it took to get the beast out of the room finally. He fell on the bed, feeling guilty for enjoying the comfort. He wasn't supposed to be there. He didn't even deserve luxury, not at that moment. His family needed him. Kuroo lay beside him.

"He isn't that awful, you know," the cat defended the beast.

"He did nothing but being rude to me."

"Well, the first time you saw him you didn't think about befriending him, right? He is just a beast after all."

The cat had a point and he hated it for that. "That doesn't mean he gets to treat me-"

"Is that a human?!" a loud voice interrupted the two, a bald crow waving his wings enthusiastically. It was possible to hear it through a closed window. Curious, Tadashi opened the window the let the crow that talked earlier to enter. By now, he didn't find it that weird there were more talking animals. The crow flew around him as if checking him. "Yes, it's a human!" He stood on the closet. "I can't believe I see a human, especially one with freckles. Can you believe it, Asahi?"

"I can't believe I see a bald crow talking…" he mumbled. There was something weird going on in the house.

"What did you say now, punk?!" The crow got offended, making scary expressions. "I'm older than you, show some respect to your elders."

"You're the one who is acting like a punk," said Kuroo.

"You're loud, Tanaka," a voice came from the direction of the closet. There was suddenly a pair of eyes above the closet, making Tadashi scream in surprise.  The closet noticed it, and apologized. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry- I didn't mean too! I'm sorry, don't get scared-" the closet kept mumbling apologies nonstop.

The crow, Tanaka, shut him up. "Asahi, stop freaking out, you're a closet not a wimp."

Where the hell did he end up?

 

Bokuto flew to the kitchen, excitedly. "Dinner for two," he announced proudly. The kitchen staff stopped their doings and looked at the owl. Bokuto grinned before explaining. "We caught a possible human who can break the curse."

"What do you mean by 'caught'? You can't hunt human-" Suga started saying, only to be interrupted by a gold candle stick with orange candles on it.

"Seriously?!" Hinata called. "How the hell did you find someone who would actually tolerate Kei? I couldn't do it as a human."

"And he can't either," Kei walked into the kitchen. "Make dinner for one."

"Why? Did something happen to freckles?!" Bokuto asked worriedly. It was hard enough finding a human who willingly chose to stay with them; it was even harder finding someone nice. There wasn't one person who didn't want to turn human again.

"He probably chased him away," said Hinata.

"I captured him because he deserved a punishment. Well, his brother did, but he volunteered to go instead of him."

The grey kettle had enough of it. "Jeez, Kei, how many times I have to tell you- if you want others to be nice to you, you have to be nice to them. Is it about the flowers again?"

"I'll die as a tea cup-" a female voice was crying in the background.

Thankfully, when everything looked like it was going terribly wrong, Kuroo showed up. One could always trust Kuroo, even as a cat. "Don't fear my friends! The human shall dine with us tonight."

"Why did you bother?" Kei got mad. "The sooner he dies, the sooner we get rid of him."

"Actually, I want to meet that guy," said Suga. "We should judge him - as a family."

 

Kuroo, in the end, made him go to dinner with the beast. He didn't bother to change his clothes, he wasn't sure there were any that fitted him. With Tanaka's guidance he reached the dining room. There were sculptures of important leaders, making him impressed by the beast's taste in art. The whole castle was designed with good taste. Every hallway they walked through was a testament for wealth. The dinner table was long, enough for at least twenty people to eat on it. It also didn't seem to be humane, not the chairs around it. The beast sat by the end of one table and Tadashi sat in front of him, as far as possible.

The food was already on the table.  It was just like he read about in books and saw on pictures. There were many foods and everything looked delicious. There were so many types of meat and vegetables he hadn't seen before. Despite wanting to be stubborn, Tadashi couldn't help but at least have a bite from everything.

There was a candle stick jumping between the different meals on the table. He wondered if the fire on it didn't burn it.

"Hinata, what the hell are you doing?" the beast asked.

"I'm trying to set the mood," Hinata said.

"How the hell having you jumping around the table is setting any mood?"

"It's hard to just stand without doing anything!"

"God, you're so useless!"

"I've had enough of you Tsukishima Kei, you-"

The name caught Tadashi's attention. "Tsukishima Kei? Isn't it the name of the prince that used to live here?"

The crow flew to the table and landed in front of plate full of meat. "Didn't you know?"

"Know what?" To him, the prince was someone who got murdered, possibly by the beast that was in front of him.

The crow took a big bite of a steak before giving Tadashi an answer, not waiting finishing chewing his food. "Ten years ago-"

The beast didn't let the crow finish talking. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," Tadashi raised his voice. "No one explains anything to me. For all I know, I'm supposed to be locked here, away from my family. Almost everything around here can talk. Why is it so hard to understand?"

"What did expect when you decided to take over your brother's place? Did you think I would bring you here to play catch?"

"You can talk to me nicely, you know. I don't bite."

"I'm a freaking beast; I can bite your head off. I spared your life, what more do you want?"

Tadashi had enough of it and got up. "Fine, then catch me and rip me apart because I'm not staying here!"

"I'm not going to chase you anyway!"

Tadashi stormed out of the castle, ignoring the protests of the animals and objects. He didn't know what the beast's point was keeping him around. Either way, it seemed willingly push away everyone who came near it. The sky was dark and the wind blew stronger. He didn't mind the road though and preferred a stormy weather than keep living with the beast.

He was in a hurry to leave; he didn't consider the long distance he had to walk by foot. The howling sound reminded he wasn't out of danger yet. He could either go back to the castle and keep living with that horrible beast or he could walk through the forest and hope nothing would jump on him. In the heat of the moment, the second option looked better.

However, he didn't manage to walk much farther than the castle when wolves approached him.

 

Kei continued sitting down and pretend nothing happened a moment ago. He remembered saying he wouldn't allow the human to walk away, but he didn't want to chase him. Everyone left in the end. No one could talk to him or looking at him normally. Everyone abandoned him in the end.  That guy was no different.

"This is your fault this time," said Tanaka with full mouth.

"I agree with Tanaka," said the candle stick. "You can't even start a normal conversation."

Kei continued to ignore the two. They would blame him for everything, even for the economy. One of the cups on the table jumped towards him. It was a small yellow cup, with two blue stars drawn on the side. Before the curse, Hitoka was one of the maid's daughter and Kei's friend. She was smart and nice; he hated her least in the castle. She was the only one beside Hinata who was his age.

"He does look like a nice person," she admitted. "I think you were too harsh on him. Don't forget this is a new situation for him. You did take him as a hostage."

Kuroo jumped on the table. "You what I like about you, Hitoka-chan? People want to hear you out, even though you're cute. I wish you turned into a cat too."

Kei sighed. "Kuroo, I don't care if it's a mating season soon, but please control yourself."

Kuroo wasn't fazed by the comment. "You're lucky Suga is in the kitchen or he would teach you a manner or two! Don't even try to be nice."

"If he wanted me to be nicer to him, he shouldn't have come to the dinner grumpy."

Hitoka coughed. "To be fair, the first thing you said was an insult about Hinata- kun. If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're mean."

"It wasn't aimed towards him."

The crow finally finished eating. "You really don't want people to like, don't you?"

"NO, I DON'T." Kei yelled with full force. Why was it hard to understand? Pretending to be everything he wasn't didn't bring him farther. People still feared him. Why would he want to go through the same disappointment over and over again? It was better to shut himself out than getting hurt even more.

Bokuto flew into the room late, confused by the tension and sudden silence. "Did I miss anything?"

Kei couldn't take it anymore and got up. He left his confused staff behind and went outside. Even though the palace was big, it felt suffocating sometimes. He wanted to go out and walk to other places freely.

He looked at the flowers the human's brother picked. They were orange on the inside and turned to yellow towards the outside. They could be used to heal some diseases that had no other cure. That was what the siblings were after. They wanted to cure someone they cared about enough to dare going to an abandoned castle. They did more to their family than Kei's family did to him in his hardest times.

He picked some of the flowers so he could give the man, knowing he probably didn't walk that far. Kei walked few steps before he heard the noise. The wolves were howling. It wouldn't be long before the animals would catch up. He started to hurry, hoping the wolves were slower.

By the time he got there, the human was already surrounded. There were three wolves and he doubted a human could deal with them. One of them launched at the human, and Kei used his force to push the wolf away. It got him injured- the wolf's teeth dug into his skin and scratched him. The other two were smart enough to stay away. Kei roared at the wolves and the animals ran away from the place.

The human stood there. Kei threw the flowers at him and turned away. "You're free to go wherever you want."There was no point convincing him to stay or try to take him back. It was better to wait until the last rose petal fell and put an end to his misery.

He started walking back, but he heard someone following him. "You're confused," he said to the human, "I'm going back."

"I know."

"You're free."

"I know."

Kei continued walking towards the castle and the human still kept following him. "I said you don't have to stay with me. You're free."

"I know," the human smiled at him. "I heard you the first time. I'm doing this on my own."

"I don't understand. I don't force to stay with me."

"So now, Tobio can save our father with what he took. I'll give Tanaka or Bokuto the address; they can deliver the rest during the night. But do you have someone who can take care of your injury?"

 

He came back to save him and farther more he gave him the plant he needed all along. Tadashi had to admit, Kuroo was right about his owner. The objects and animals were terrified when their master came back bleeding and even more to see him return. They cared about him as if he were more of a family member rather than their master. Tadashi helped him to put bandages on the wound that luckily didn't turn out fatal. Then Tadashi went to kitchen to make some tea to himself. It was a long evening and he wanted some rest.

Kuroo was there, talking with a tea kettle and a cup. "Here," the cat announced happily. "That's the human that returned. I told you he is the one."

Tadashi sat in front of the cat and the objects; just to be sure they could talk too. He was not disappointed. "I'm the one?" he asked.

"You'll break the curse."

"The curse…"

The cup laughed. It had a cute feminine voice. "I guess we didn't get to that point yet."

Tadashi remembered the name the candle stick said. "Is it related to the prince who lived here?"

There was a sad smile on the kettle's face. When he spoke, he had a kind tone. "He still lives here. You had dinner with him."

"What?" Tadashi said out loud without noticing. He tried to talk quietly but he couldn't. "How is that possible? What happened to him? Is this why all of you can talk?"

"I remember that night unfortunately," the kettle, who introduced himself as Suga, told him everything.

"I stayed up to finish cleaning when the prince woke up. He couldn't fall asleep that night and I offered him a cup of tea. He said he just wanted to play in the hallways until it would bore him. I left him be, after all, what can already happen? I heard someone ringing the doorbell. It was late at night and I was the only servant who was up. It took me a while to get it, but I had to- I don't recall what was so important that I couldn't get it right away, but it doesn't matter. I found it suspicious they didn't ring the bell again.

"When I got there, Kei was already talking to a strange woman. I didn't recognize her and neither the prince. Kei's education was one of the top and he was so smart even for a child. He refused to let a stranger in. I was about to get closer when suddenly the strange woman changed her appearance to a young woman. She was a witch and she was angry at Kei. She noticed me and pushed me aside. Kei tired to apologize, but it was too late. She turned him into a beast, claiming he was an awful boy who could be loved by no one. There was a condition, though. She gave him a special rose and said the curse could be broken if some learnt to love his nature. If the last petal fell, he would die as a beast.

"The chaos began. The witch woke everyone up. Every servant who saw the beast ran away. His parents thought he was a beast that killed their son and also ran away, leaving him behind. Only few of us, the servants left, and we were turned to objects or animals."

Tadashi couldn't believe the story.  He had seen it with his with his own two eyes, but it still was hard to imagine. Kei must have been eleven when it happened to him. He was a mere child. It must have been awful to go through his puberty in that condition. Thinking about his own behavior, Tadashi felt guilty that he couldn't try being more patient. He treated Kei like an actual beast.

Kuroo sat on his lap. "This is why we got excited when you turned yourself in. We hoped it might help to bring the curse down. He was abandoned by his own parents. We just wanted someone who wouldn't leave Kei."

"You have no idea how much we are glad you came back."

Tadashi forgot about the tea. He left the staff and asked Kuroo to show him the way to Kei's room. The room was on the second floor, but it didn't take him long to find it. He thanked Kuroo and knocked on the door. When he heard Kei's voice, he let himself in.

The prince's room was much bigger than his own; one could have a dancing party in such room. There was a room for a coffee table and two comfortable big arm chairs, one which Kei was sitting on. The prince stared at the fire in the fire place, before turning his attention to Tadashi.

"Is there-"

"Your eyes," Tadashi cut him off. It was probably considered rude, but he took the risk.

"What about my eyes?"

"When I first saw you, I thought your eyes were of human's, not a beast."

Kei sighed, signing Tadashi he could walk in. "Who told you? Was it Suga? I bet it was Suga."

"It was Suga."

"I should have bet on something good."

Tadashi sat in front of Kei. He wondered what he would look like if he stayed a regular human and not turn into a beast. He saw Kei's pictures as a child in study books. He was an adorable child who could turn into a handsome man. "I'm sorry to hear what happened to you."

"Don't say sorry for something you cannot change."

"You saved my life. I could be eaten by the wolves. You also remembered about the flowers. When Tobio left, you allowed him to go with flowers; even though you got mad he picked them up in the first place."

Kei smirked, but his expression was soft and not intimidating. It felt more comfortable approaching and talking to him. "What is your point?"

"You're lonely.  That's the real reason you wanted to capture someone in the first place. Everyone is too afraid of you. Without people to talk to, no wonder you're so bad at it."

"Are you trying to be a psychologist?"

Tadashi nodded and offered a wide smile on his lips. "I'm trying to say, you don't have to be alone anymore. I'll be by your side."

Kei's eyes were wide open. He blinked few times and even tried to pinch himself to make sure Tadashi wasn't lying. He truly wasn't. It wasn't fair for Kei to live alone, shut out from the rest of the world, no matter what he looked like outside. He was still a man who needed company. He had no one.

"Go to your room, you need some sleep," that was what Kei managed to say. Tadashi was disappointed that Kei rejected him and started going back to his room. Then, he heard Kei quietly saying, "I'll see you tomorrow in breakfast."

"Yes," Tadashi cried happily.

 

Kei expected Tadashi would try to run again, but the next morning he came down, still a bit sleepy. His dark green hair was messy a bit. In broad daylight, it was easier to see how cute he was. He was tall and slim; his features were gentle- as gentle as his touch was when he put bandages on him. There were few freckles covering his cheeks and his nose, making him look extra adorable. His eyes were light brown, a shade he didn't see before. He wondered if Tadashi had someone he dated already at home. Sure a cute guy who was also nice like him would be popular.

"Good morning," he yawned. He was wearing different clothes, probably something he found in the closet. They were old but looked better than what he came with the day before. They also loose on his skinny figure.

"Did you sleep well?"he asked.

"Yes, I did." The question seemed to make Tadashi happier. He wondered why. "How about you?"

"Me?" it sounded like Tadashi truly cared. "I'm good… In fact, there is something I want to show you before we start eating."

"What is it?"

"Follow me."

Ever since he turned to a beast, he wanted to shut himself away from other. He was surrounded by objects and animals; he felt he was losing his own humanity. Since people chose to stay away from him, he felt humanity was rejecting him back. The previous night, Tadashi chose to stay with him willingly. He didn't know why, he didn't know for how long, but the fact he was considered to put up with was the most he got. He wanted to show his thanks.

Tadashi didn't ask where they were going, he simply followed. Then, they reached the room Kei asked Kiyoko to clean specifically. He let Tadashi be the one who opened the door. It was the castle's library, the biggest one in the kingdom. There were multiple books and every possible genre. Tadashi walked inside, his back against Kei, not saying a word.

"You said something about wanting to have some books to read and I don't use it that much anymore, so-" he started saying but was cut off when Tadashi turned to him with a wide smile. His smile was so bright; it could the sun into shame. Thank god it didn't blind him.

"I love it, Kei," Tadashi hugged him.

Kei didn't know how to react to the hug. The last time someone hugged him was when his mother was around. He was afraid he would accidently hurt the man by chocking him or scratching his back. He awkwardly put his arms around the man, making sure he wasn't using too much force.  

No wonder Suga insisted on teaching him proper manners.

 

It had been couple of months since his least favorite person in the village came back. He got his horse back, but there was someone missing. Tobio was forbidden, luckily, from getting any horse. He gave Ittetsu some problems, but the caretaker apologized for him. Tooru wondered how the sick man got better, even healthier than before.

Tobio insisted he went to the abandoned castle; saw a beast that took Tadashi as a hostage and brought a cure for his father. It all sounded impossible, until Tadashi went missing. The truth was, Tooru missed the freckled man. He was a lot smarter than the people in the village, a lot nicer and a lot cuter. His smile was the most precious thing he had ever seen. It was true he used to joke about dating him, but even a guy like him had insecurities. He wasn't sure he deserved a guy like him.

Everyone believed Tobio was crazy. Tooru started questioning that. He was popular enough to convince others follow him to a crazy adventure.  

"Why would we go and save him?" asked one of the villagers. Everyone murmured agreements, something that made Tooru angry. What was wrong with them?

Some of the women approached him. "Please don't do these, Tooru-kun… You might get hurt."

Lucky for him, the villagers were stupid. "Ladies, gentleman, this is not about saving a person. It's about saving all of us. I mean, this is not the first time we heard about a wild beast. If we don't do something about this, we are in danger. Are we going to let one beast to spread fear in our hearts or are we going to fight it together and protect our village?"

The man cheered and the women got excited all the sudden. They were an easy bait, but at least he would be able to save the guy he liked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the next chapter ready, though not edited too... I do start uni soon so I'll have less time to wrtie (though I'm not abandoning it). 
> 
> Next there will be so much fluff!!! A little bit angst that is solved with FLUFF!!!
> 
> Hope you liked it, please leave a review^^


	3. However cold the wind and rain I'll be there to ease up your pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is perfect for the couple- but Kei still can't turn human. And having his life threatened by a jealous man and an angry mob doesn't really help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part is so fluffy, I feel ashamed that it's this fluffy. It's almost illegel. Sorry I'm a little bit late. I was busy reading House of M and Children's Crusade and cry for days. I hope you like it!
> 
> Enjoy!

Tadashi was wonderful. It was a blessing that Kei got to meet him and they grew closer each day passed by. The more he got to know him, the more he fell in love. It was a feeling he only read about in books.

Kei was staring at the rose. There was only one petal left, barely hanging, threatening to fall any minute. He didn't understand why the curse wasn't broken yet. Tadashi was nice to him. Then again, maybe that was the problem- he was just nice, but never felt something towards Kei. His love was unrequited.  

The old him would be full of rage and kick Tadashi out of the castle. Now, he didn't want to let go of Tadashi. There was something about the freckled boy's presence that kept him calm and secure. Tadashi agreed to teach Kei everything he knew and he turned out to be not only smart, but also patient and a good teacher.  Kei loved him, wasn't it enough?

A cat jumped onto his lap. "Are you alright?"

"Other than the fact that I'm about to die soon, yes," Kei sighed.  "I don't understand, what is wrong?"

"You're a smart guy, you'll figure it out," Kuroo tried to comfort the prince. "Maybe the witch lied to you."

"Could it be he doesn't really like me?" He said out loud.

"I changed my mind, you're stupid. Or oblivious. I'll go with oblivious."

Kei grabbed the cat and dropped it on the floor. Offended, Kuroo walked away. "You know, maybe the problem is that you don't believe he could actually love you."

"I'm not being taught a life lesson by a god damn cat."

Sick and tired of sitting around and get depressed, Kei decided to go to the kitchen. He wanted to thank Tadashi in a special way, one that would tell the other man what he truly felt. Suga would know what to do. He was better with people after all.

It would be better, however, if it were only the two of them. "I can't believe you waited months to make a move," said Bokuto. "I lost the bet because of you."

"What bet?"

"Ignore him," Suga intervened, "nothing good will come out of this."

"What do you think I should do? I had a hard time convincing him to stay."

Kuroo joined them and pushed Suga. "You never thought of asking me, your best friend?"

"You're not my friend," Kei reminded him.

"Either way, the answer is pretty much obvious. Do the usual things, give him flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep."

"Also, smile," suggested the owl.

It had been a while since the last time Kei was forced to put a smile on his face. He could master that skill as a child, fooling servants and visitors he was well mannered boy. After the curse, his will to smile or feeling happy went down the drain. "No."

"I actually agree with them on this one," Suga said from behind. "But we can work on it later. You should hold a dancing party."

"How can it be a party if it's only two people?" His servants could think of the most ridiculous things.

"It will be just the two of you, yes, but that's what you wanted in the first place, didn't you?"

Kei took a moment to consider the idea. "Proceed."

"Remember your mother forced you to take dance lessons so you could impress whoever they would force you to marry with? How about offering Tadashi a lesson? That way you two can be also close to each other."

Kei hated it when he got great advices from a tea kettle. However, suddenly being so close to Tadashi… They did held hands occasionally, but it never went farther.

His thoughts were snapped by Kuroo. "He is talking about dancing…"

"I know, that's what I was thinking about."

"No you didn't, you beast."

"I'm throwing you to the dogs."

 

Tadashi attached a letter to Tanaka's leg. Even though he did enjoy staying in the castle, he still missed home. With the help of the crow, Tadashi sent letters home to Tobio and Ittetsu. Kei also offered sending them a sum of money- the prince believed it was a small amount- and it allowed them to live peacefully when Ittetsu was recovering. His caretaker's condition was getting better.

Tadashi thought of going home, but he didn't want to leave Kei alone. Even though the prince never said that, the freckled man knew he was afraid Tadashi would run. Also, there weren't many days until the last petal would fall. He didn't want to leave the prince alone and wanted to keep him company.

Kei turned out to be smart. Tadashi taught him everything he knew and it gave Kei the motivation to study beyond. He surpassed his teacher quickly but it didn't matter. It didn't take him long time to realize Kei gave up on everything that reminded him of being a human. He wanted to change that. It wasn't fair that he was left alone; it wasn't fair for him to give up everything and accept his new identity. Whereas Tadashi had his family, Kei had talking animals and furniture.

The moment he sent Tanaka away, Kei knocked on the open door to let him know he was there. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," he said cheerfully. "My father almost healed completely. Tobio still struggles with school, though. He is a good boy, but he is a piece of work."

"That's great. Actually, I came here to ask you something."

Looking at Kei being embarrassed, made Tadashi looking at him with confusion. He always thought of the prince as the cool type. "Is there something wrong?"

"No… I wanted to ask you if you can dance."

"I never learnt how to," he admitted, but couldn't figure out why would Kei asked this out of the blue.

"Then, how about I teach you? I mean, my family used to hold many parties-" Kei started mumbling.

"I'd love that," Tadashi cut him off. He loved spending time with his prince, and he was glad he had the opportunity to get closer.

 

With Asahi's help, Tadashi managed to dress up like a noble man; though he wasn't sure blue and yellow were the right choice.  Either way, he tried to look as decent as possible, but it was hard to make his hair look normal. He didn't feel uncomfortable, but he also didn't feel like it was right. He couldn't fool anyone he was born into a family of wealth.

Bokuto flew into the room; his spirit was higher than usual. "Hello, handsome-" he started saying when he landed on his shoulder. "This looks cool."

"No, this looks ridiculous." He knew he corrected the owl in vain, but he had to.

"You should have seen Kuroo's hair, that's ridiculous."

As always, the cat followed. "Says the guy who literally looked like an owl."

"Hey- I designed like that to make it look cool!"

Five minutes after a terrible try to mock each other haircuts, in which Tadashi discovered there were many possible puns related to hair, the pair remembered the reason why they were in his room. They led him to an immense room that used to be covered in dust and webs to the point it was possible to see anything. Now, when the room was clean, it was easy to notice the wide space. Hundreds of people could fit in. It was the perfect room to hold fancy parties, probably that was its originally purpose.

Kei was standing there, waiting for him in formal attire - black and orange, the colors that represented their kingdom. One might think a gigantic beast wouldn’t be able to pull off that look, but Kei still managed to look cool. He wasn't even trying. Hinata, Hitoka and Suga were there too, even though they didn't match the background. There was a violin playing music, Tadashi learnt his name was Akaashi, the only person besides Kei who Bokuto and Kuroo liked to annoy. Never in his life had Tadashi dreamed this could happen to him. It was too good to be true.

"You look handsome," Kei said once he approached to him.

"Th- thank you," he blushed. He didn't say anything farther so he would say something awkward. It was very likely he would embarrass himself.

"May I take you hand?"

Tadashi held Kei's paw and the other hand was on Kei's shoulder. They began moving slowly, Kei showing him how to move right. The first minutes were awkward, with the cat and the owl struggling to hold their laugh. He stepped few times on the prince's leg, but he was patient enough not to get mad at him. After an awkward beginning, the two found a pace that fitted both until they were completely in sync. It wasn't because Tadashi suddenly became a professional dancer but because with Kei it felt natural.

He felt he knew Kei for years. There was no formality between them. "Come to think about it, how come you don't care that I don't refer to you as 'your highness'?"

"Why would you address to me like that? It's weird. Besides, that's how everyone called my father."

Tadashi chuckled. "You don't even let your staff call you like that. I don't think there are servants whom their master calls them staff."

"I was just a kid," though his tone was normal, he would blush if he were a human. "I only started to learn. I guess that after what happened I didn't really care about the way I was supposed to act as a human. I just decided to shut myself away, without caring about anything. Why to drown myself in people's problem when I'm not one of them?"

"But isn't it what makes you humane?" Tadashi felt Kei was about to stop moving and he stood still with him. He let go of Kei and put his hands on the man's face, making sure their eye contact won't break. "Sometimes people want to shut themselves away from the world, usually when they are facing difficulties. You said you became a beast, but what does that mean? You were angry at the world, confused, lost… I don't there is a person who would react much different from you. You're not a monster. You may look like one, but you're not. If you let others to know you like I do, they wouldn't be afraid of you."

"That's stupid," Kei took Tadashi hands and removed them, but didn't let go. "I'm a future king; I'm supposed to be feared."

Tadashi knew his words left an impact on Kei. Even though he acts like a cold person, Kei cared. He didn't want to be hated, he wasn't full of hatred. "I think you're amazing- no fur or paws could change that."

 

Tobio was already waiting by the open window, as he did every night. The first time the crow came to visit it almost made Ittetsu faint. After a while, Tobio started looking forward for letters from his brother. There were times he wrote everyday and times he received a letter once a week. He was surprised to find out his brother was doing well. The beast looked so frightening, Tobio was sure he would have to grieve for Tadashi. The letters revealed the two were getting closer and closer each day, and Tadashi stated that he wouldn't be able to go back for a while.

At first, Ittetsu was upset about the new situation. There was no evidence that Tadashi was truly safe and not forced to write those letters. Tobio claiming a scary talking beast didn't really help to change his mind. The day Tanaka came with flower put Ittetsu's mind in ease, though he was still worried for the freckled man.

That night, however, Tobio brought bad news with him. He heard the men were planning on attacking the castle and he couldn't do anything about it. He was just a poor teen, who would listen to him? That awful guy, Oikawa, refused to listen to him. He was sure that by hurting the beast, they would hurt Tadashi too. He wasn't allowed to buy a horse and he didn't want his caretaker to have more worries. His only hope was for Tanaka to show up.

His prayers were answered. He saw the crow flying towards him. He was loud for a crow, but Tobio liked him. "Tanaka san, we have-" he started once the crow landed on the window.

"What did we talk about?" Tanaka stopped him.

"Sorry, I forgot," Tobio apologized and took the letter that was attached to the crow. "Senpai, we have a problem!" He started explaining the situation to the crow, every detail that he knew.

"Why are you telling me this now?!" Tanaka panicked. "I'm a just a crow, I'm not gonna be there on time!"

"But didn't say you were the best?" Tobio reminded him. Seeing Tanaka hesitating, he quickly added, "senpai."

Hearing the last word, Tanaka's mood changed. "You're right, a man never contradicts his own words, he must stay true to them!"

The crow soared to the sky. "I must go, the kingdom needs me!"

 

They had spent a wonderful time together. He couldn't believe he wanted to run away from Kei and now all he wanted was to never leave his sight. The evening went perfectly well, until Kuroo and Bokuto had gone too far with Akaashi and Hinata almost burnt the place down. All three were lectured by Suga.

When they walked to Tadashi's room, they held hands. It felt good. Everything felt right that evening. He felt belonged. He knew few days left until the curse is over, before he had to go back to the village. There was not much time left, they had to make every moment count.

They reached the room, but neither one of them was ready to let go just yet. "So, goodnight, I guess?" Kei asked hesitantly.

"I had a really great time tonight," Tadashi admitted. "It was wonderful."

"I'm glad you liked it. I hope we have another time together, only it will be just the two of us."

"It's always just the two of us."

"I mean, only us. Not the furniture or the animals, just the two of us-"

There was a knock on the door that interrupted them. Only they were outside the room, and the room was on the second floor. They heard Asahi's worried voice and a loud one. "Let me in," Tanaka demanded, "I mean let me out… Whatever it is, open the door!"

Both men stared at each other confused before Kei decided to open the door.  Tanaka flew everywhere, his words made absolutely no sense. It wasn't until Kei had enough that he caught Tanaka. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"They are going to catch you!" the crow screamed. "The men of the village are angry with you for taking a hostage and they are about to hunt you down."

"So, I have to scare them, that's it, right? It worked before."

Tadashi, however, wasn't as calm as the prince. "What do you mean? How do you know about this?"

"Your brother told me. The leader of this group is determined to bring you back."

The villagers were afraid of 'the beast'; they wouldn't go to the woods and search for the castle. It made no sense. No one cared about him except his family. Everyone made fun of him, except… Except for one guy. "Did you see the mob?"

 "I did see them, they are close I barely made it in time."

"How does the leader look like?"

"I only saw the top of his head, he has this fluffy hair style, probably not his natural hair."

That was all the information Tadashi needed. It didn't matter why Tooru was doing that, he had to stop him. He started running towards the door as fast as he could. He could hear Kei cursing and chasing him.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

"I'm going to stop them!" Tadashi said, determined. "They listen to Tooru; Tooru will listen to me… I'm not going to let them hurt you!"

He ran even faster, leaving a big gap between him and Kei. He ignored the protesting- and some of the unpleasant words that weren't supposed to be said by a prince- trying to find the right words in his mind. He had to convince them Kei wasn't a monster, he only looked like one. There was no reason to be afraid of him.

He almost stumbled down three times on his way. He was out of air, struggling to breathe, yet he was determined to keep going until he spotted the mob. Just as Tanaka described, Tooru was the head of the group. "Tadashi?" Tooru said in disbelief. "I thought-"

"Please, don't!" he begged. "Don't kill him."

"Him? Who are you talking about? There is a beast living in this -"

"I said don't," he screamed as loud as he could. "He isn't dangerous. You're making a mistake."

One man, whom Tadashi recognized as one of the bullies, announced, "I see the beast, it's there."

Before he could say anything, he was pushed aside by Tooru. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe." The angry mob didn't allow him to keep moving and he watched in horror as they were after the man he loved, not being able to do anything. It couldn't end this way, it wasn't fair. He got up, determined to help Kei find his happy ending.

 

He was glad to see Tadashi was safe. He expected to see him in a terrible condition- dirty, cloths torn, skinny and bruised. Tadashi's looks didn't fit the image he created in his mind. The freckled man was well dressed and he looked as handsome as ever. He didn't look like he was held in captivity, starved or tortured the way Tobio first called. Hell, he wasn't sure if he was alive or not!

Yet, the moment he noticed the beast coming towards them, Tooru lost his cool. Even from a great distance, it was easy to tell the beast was dreadful. Despite wanting to prove his worth, he didn't want to charge alone. He hoped the group of idiots that followed him would be helpful. As they came closer, it was easier to notice the beast's gigantic size, its sharp teeth and claws. His courage was slowly leaving his body. He wasn't the only one, many of the villagers that tagged along got cold feet too.

 "Get out of here," it roared. It was much bigger than what Tooru had in mind.

"Hell, no," he heard the villagers protest. "I've a kid on the way, can't afford to be eaten." The other men agreed. They turned around, eager to forget the reason why they were doing this.

He almost lost his temper. "Where the hell are you going? We came here to stop it."

One of them stopped for a moment. "This is crazy. It lives too far anyway. And I think there are wolves around." With these words, the man continued running.

"You have loyal followers," he heard the beast's amused tone. It looked at him with a smug smile that irritated him. 

He drew his sword. "It doesn't matter; I won't go back without Tadashi."

"Over my dead body," it launched towards him, making Tooru fall on his back. He loosened the grip on his sword for a moment, but regained his strength. It was hard to move his hands when the beast was pressing on his shoulders so he had to use his legs. He pushed it aside and rolled to the other side so he could get up.

The beast didn't let him have his way and didn't allow Tooru to get up. It dug his sharp nails onto his chest, making him wince in pain. Yet, he still found the power to lift his sword. He hit the beast's side, making it back off. It put its paw on the wound, it looked startled and angry.

It wanted to attack again and Tooru was ready for it. However, someone cried, "Stop" and it wasn't hard to guess who it was. Neither one of them noticed Tadashi approached to them. He was out of breath too. "Please, stop fighting. Don't… don't hurt each other."

The beast got distracted and looked at Tadashi. Taking advantage of the moment and hoping to save Tadashi from the hands of the beast, Tooru charged with his sword. "No," Tadashi, who was usually quite, screamed loudly while approaching the beast and held it in his arms, helping it to lie down. With teary eyes, he looked at Tooru. "What did you this for?!"

"You need to go home, not live with some wild animal that scares everyone."

Tadashi gently put the beast head down before getting up and facing Tooru. "You don't even know him! Just because he looks like a beast, doesn't mean he is dangerous."

He just couldn't believe what he heard. "Didn't you see what happened now? He attacked me, he scared the villagers and he kidnapped you!"

"He just thought I was in danger, he tried to protect me! Also, he didn't take me; I chose to stay with him, even after he let me go." It was hard to understand Tadashi's words when he could barely talk while he was crying.

He took a step back. Something felt wrong. He felt a pain in his chest as if his heart was breaking. He was ready to save the one he loved from the hands of a fearsome beast only to be rejected in the favor of a creature. What did he do wrong? "I only wanted to save you."

  
"I don't need to be saved. You've hurt someone innocent for what purpose? I thought you were better than that."

Those words hurt more than his wounds. _'Because I love you. Nothing is the same without you. I need you.'_ He could say all that. Maybe he could convince the freckled man to come back with him. He could warm up a bit towards him. However, he knew it was too late for that. The way Tadashi looked at that thing would never be the same way he would look at Tooru.

It was his fault after all. He should have confessed long time ago. He wished he could show he was serious. What was wrong with him? How did let something good slip away? Instead of doing something good, he caused more pain. "Well, I'm not," he put the sword back. "Guess it has to be one person less in the village. One person less, one person more, I don't really care."

Tadashi softened a bit. "I'm not sure what you did tonight can be called not caring. But, I can ensure you I'm safe. This is my place. This is where I belong, and my family should be here too. Your place is in the village, that is the place you can feel at home. So please, go your own way."

Tooru turned around before Tadashi would notice he started crying too. "You're being too emotional."

 

The minute Tadashi let go of him, he was it would be the end of it. Tadashi would go back to the village and be with the pretty boy. It would stupid to choose an ugly beast over a handsome man. Kei wasn't worthy of Tadashi's love. There was nothing he could give to him that was enough.

Yet, Tadashi came back. He stayed. When Kei needed him the most, he was there by his side. Tadashi wrapped his arms around him and the warmth helped to ease his pain. It made him feel safe and sound. His scent was familiar, reminding him of a home. 

"You're here," he said in disbelief. Even talking was hard at that moment.

"Of course I'm," despite the tears, Tadashi gave him a kind smile, one that made him fall in love in the first place. "I told you I'm not going anywhere."

"You shouldn't…"

Tadashi shook his head. "I'm with you until the end, whether you like it or not."

It was hard to believe Tadashi was real. He was too good to be true, but he was there. Even though he didn't feel he deserved someone like that, there was a person out there who loved him the way he was. Someone managed to reach out when he was desperate, when he tried to shut everyone away. Someone who cried for him.

Suddenly he felt cold. He clothes weren't enough. Even Tadashi's touch felt a bit different. Before he could figure out what happened to him, everything turned into darkness.

 

The chair he slept on wasn't comfortable but he couldn't leave Kei's side. He waited for wounded Kei to wake up and fell asleep. Not even the daylight could wake him up. He heard a man's voice calling his name. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Slowly opening his eyes, there was a figure standing in front of him. He was a blur, a golden halo surrounding him, but soon he features became clear. He was a handsome man with beautiful humane gold eyes… "Kei?!" He screamed at shock.

Then, it all came back to him. While sobbing, believing Kei was dead, Kei changed back to his human form, though it didn't heal his injury. He tried to lift Kei and help him walk to the castle, but the prince already lost his consciousness. He tried the best to tend the wound, but he knew the forest wasn't the best place to heal someone. Luckily, once Kei turned to his human form, so the staff did too. They went to search for the two and they were found by Tanaka and Suga. Soon, Kei was in his bed after Suga and Hitoka did the best they could to save him.

Tadashi didn't take the time to appreciate Kei's beauty. He was taller than the freckled man and had a muscular body. His blond curly hair matched his eyes perfectly. He didn't see anything like that before, it was a quite astonishing sight.

"And here I am thinking I'm not that scary." Kei didn't look offended, but Tadashi's reaction caught him by surprise.

"No…" Tadashi admitted while getting up. "Actually it's… not that at all…" He wrapped his arms around Kei tightly, crying tears of joy. "Not that at all-" he repeated between sniffs.

Kei hugged him back and they were standing in that position for a moment until Tadashi calmed down a bit. He looked up to see the taller man, smiling at him. "That's great because it makes it easier offering you to stay…"

"Didn't I make it clear that I don't intend to go away?"

Kei leaned down a bit and their lips touched. It was a bit awkward at first, but soon it was sweet and thrilling at the same time. Kei's touch felt great and his skin was soft for a man who went through puberty as a beast. They pulled away for a moment to catch their breath and they were ready to kiss again, only to be interrupted by the staff.

Everyone was happy to see Kei was well - Suga demanded him to go back to bed so he could heal properly. Kuroo was injured too, as Bokuto fell on him after turning to human while flying, but he only broke his hand. They were happy for Kei and Tadashi and thanked him for breaking the curse. As he looked at their human form, it was a lot easier to tell they were a family.

That moment was the first of many blissful moments they enjoyed together.

After Kei healed, he had to take over the kingdom. It took him awhile, yet he managed to claim the throne he deserved, Tadashi by his side. He had to prove his true identity, which turned out to be a lot easier than he suspected. The kingdom suffered while their king was absent but he proved also his worth as a great king.

Tadashi kept touch with Tooru, who recently became a father of two. He was glad Tooru was too, he deserved it. He forced Kei to make Tooru a noble man, to thank him properly.  

Ittetsu and Tobio moved in with them. Ittetsu received a title of nobility and Tobio found others who liked to play with him. Though Hinata and he constantly bickered, they turned out to be a great duo. Tobio also became the heir to the throne- he refused until Kei threatened he would ban volleyball in the kingdom.  

Every time Kei woke up in the morning next to his beloved he knew that one thing would always be true- he found his happily ever after.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... that's it. I hope to finish two Oiyama fics that I'm working on and my TMI au for Tsukkiyama (and don't let me start about marvel)
> 
> Reviews are always welcome^^ Thanks for the kudos, comments and bookmarks :D
> 
> And remember: "However cruel the mirrors of sin Remember, beauty is found within"

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the first part. It'll take a while until my next update. 
> 
> Comments and reviews are always welcome :)


End file.
